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Rustic Bourbon-Spiced Pear & Apple Tart

‘Tis the time of year for pies and tarts. Autumn…mmmmm! Such good, rich flavors and pears and apples are always a big part of that. Apple pie is a favorite of the men in The Goddess’s life, but she’s sort of partial to a combination of pears and apples. Pears and apples are a wonderful combination. They really are. I don’t know why we don’t combine them more frequently, but we don’t seem to. The spice combination features allspice, Vietnamese and freshly shredded ginger, with just a hint of freshly ground mulling spice. My mother made spectacularly good pies. Quite literally prize-winning pies, and she always added a little bit of salt to the filling. She didn’t add the bourbon, but hey, why not?

I used one of those crusts you get in the refrigerated section in the supermarket, but you should absolutely make your own, Perfect Pie Crust.

Just a reminder…put some mulling spice in a pepper grinder and grind it fresh into anything with apple, pork and it’s delicious on scallops and fish, too. Mulling Spice is so much more than just an addition to wine or apple cider.

Oh, yes…one last thing. I threw in a handful of dried cranberries. I’ve added fresh cranberries to a two crust apple pie, which we liked and it tinted the filling beautifully, but it’s a bit early for those, so I opted for the dried version. The Spicy Honey liked them, so I guess we can claim success!

Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour the mixture into the center of the pie crust. Gently fold the crust over the filling, leaving an opening in the center of about 4-5 inches. Place the butter in the opening.

Place the tart in the oven; bake for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F. Continue to bake until the fruit is tender and the crust is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Cool slightly or completely. Serve with Caramel-Apple Bourbon Sauce.

NOTE: Put mulling spice in a pepper grinder, then you can grind it fresh into desserts, as well as savory things. Use all apples or a combination of apples and pears. You can add dried cranberries, minced dried apricots or date, or simply just leave them out. It will still be delicious, but do use the Caramel Sauce!

It’s time I fess up. I made this tart so I could make and serve the Caramel Apple Sauce with Bourbon. It’s just a really good basic caramel sauce, but with apple cider replacing the water. I mean, why wouldn’t you do that? Seriously?